Florida
LSU women win big over Florida, setting up likely top-five clash with South Carolina
The LSU women’s basketball team will be undefeated when it meets No. 2 South Carolina.
On Sunday, the 80-63 road win that the No. 5 Tigers (20-0, 5-0) picked up o over Florida assured them of that fact.
Mikaylah Williams, Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow teamed up to build a 17-0 fourth-quarter run that propelled LSU to its lopsided win. Johnson kicked off the scoring spree by hitting an open jumper, and Morrow punctuated it by converting an easy layup. In the time between, the Tigers shot 5 of 6 from the field, while forcing Florida to miss its first six shots of the quarter.
“Listen, when you can empty (the bench) and play everybody on your team with five minutes to go in the game and you’re up 28,” coach Kim Mulkey said, “knowing what we face next, that’s a good day.”
LSU played two tight Southeastern Conference games before they traveled to Gainesville, Florida, to face the Gators (11-9, 2-4). A last-second shot lifted the Tigers to a two-point road win over No. 15 Tennessee on Jan. 9, then a late surge of offense propelled them to a six-point home victory over Vanderbilt on Monday.
On Sunday, LSU won by a more comfortable margin.
And this time, its defense keyed the win.
Florida converted just 9 of the 28 field goals it attempted across the second and third quarters, a stretch of play that LSU won 44-27. The Tigers forced the Gators into 24 turnovers, and converted them into 35 points. Overall, Florida shot just 38% from the field, becoming the second SEC team this season to hit less than 40% of its shots against LSU.
In the third quarter, the Tigers played most of their offense through Williams, the star sophomore who finished with 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting and eight rebounds. Morrow chipped in 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 10 rebounds, and Johnson added 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but the LSU bench notched only 11 points, finishing with fewer than 12 for the second game in a row.
Freshman guard Liv McGill led Florida with 21 points and six assists. Freshman Me’Arah O’Neal, the daughter of LSU great Shaquille O’Neal, grabbed seven rebounds in 15 minutes.
“One thing that we did do good, and we’ve improved today was turnovers,” Mulkey said. “We only had nine for the entire game and for a while, there it was only six, so that’s a big part of why you extended the lead like we did. You’re getting yourself a shot every time.”
LSU started the game with a quick 7-0 run. But then Florida called a timeout, started to dribble penetrate, hit shots and slow down the Tigers’ halfcourt offense with a zone defense. In the first half, LSU trailed by as many as six points and entered halftime with just a 37-33 lead.
Then the Tigers played sharper defense that was a building block that ignited their transition offense, fueled their dominant second half and added another victory atop their now 20-game win streak — already the second-best start in program history. LSU attempted 14 more field goals than Florida, while also scoring 40 points in the paint and 26 on the fast break.
Mulkey has now led her team to at least 20 wins in each of her 25 seasons as a head coach.
Meanwhile, Morrow posted her 92nd career double-double, tying her with former Oregon forward Jillian Alleyne for the second-most in NCAA Division I history. LSU’s win over Florida was the 123rd game of her career.
Next, the Tigers will hit the road to play the most-anticipated game of their regular season.
That matchup, a likely top-five showdown with No. 2 South Carolina, will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN.
Ohio State lost 62-59 to Penn State on Sunday, which means that LSU and No. 1 UCLA are the last two undefeated Division I teams left. The Bruins are one of only two squads that have defeated the Gamecocks over the past three seasons.
LSU is 0-4 against South Carolina under Mulkey.
“We’re gonna enjoy this victory today,” Mulkey said. “Any victory on the road in our league is an accomplishment, but we know what we face next, a tremendous challenge to play the defending champions and do it at their place.”
Florida
Federal judge blocks DeSantis executive order declaring CAIR a 'terrorist organization'
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
Florida
Man convicted of 1991 fatal shooting of a police officer is set to be executed in Florida
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse awoke at 6:30 a.m. He declined a last meal and has remained compliant throughout the day, corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland said during a news conference. Kearse met with a spiritual adviser during the day but had no other visitors.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeals Tuesday afternoon without comment.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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